SHADOW DIM.

- Shadowdark Rules Hack -.

Art Credit - Dean Spencer

 Ancestry

All characters can speak Common and their HALFLING

ancestral language (Elvish for Elves, Dwarvish Small, cheerful country folk with mischievous
for Dwarves, etc). Humans have many different streaks. They enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
languages depending on where they are from.
Lucky. Gain an additional Luck Token at the
If you want to play a character of mixed start of each session.
ancestry (half-elf, half-orc, etc.), pick one trait Underfoot. You can move through enemy
from each of your ancestries. spaces without rolling.

DWARF HUMAN
Brave, stalwart folk as sturdy as the stone Bold, adaptable, and diverse people who learn
kingdoms they carve inside mountains. quickly and accomplish mighty deeds.

Tough. Gain +1 HP per level. Ambitious. Gain one additional talent roll at
Sturdy. You can’t be moved or knocked down 1st level.
against your will. Cooperative. When you Maneuver, both you
and an ally gain advantage on your next check.
ELF
Ethereal, graceful people who revere ORC
knowledge and beauty. Elves see far and live Towering, tusked folk of barbarous mountain
long. tribes. For them, only the strong survive, and
only the strongest lead.
Keen Senses. Gain advantage on checks that
rely on sight and hearing. Intimidating. You have advantage on checks
Trance. You do not need sleep and can rest made to scare or coerce.
while doing other light activity. Ferocious. If you roll a 1 for damage, you can
reroll it and take the second result.
GOBLIN
Green, clever beings who thrive in dark,
cramped places. As fierce as they are tiny.

Scavenger. You can eat just about anything and

can’t be poisoned by food.
Nasty Bite. Your unarmed attacks count as
light weapons.

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 Combat

INITIATIVE ATTACKING
Combat is divided into Fast and Slow phases. If you attempt to Strike twice in one turn, your
At the start of combat, all PCs make a DC 15 second Strike has disadvantage.
Dexterity check. Characters that succeed act
during the Fast phase, while those that fail act When you roll to Strike, use this guide:
during the Slow phase. ● Crit Success. Deal double damage.
● Success. Deal full damage.
Monsters can either be Fast (Dexterity +1 or ● Failure. Deal half damage.
higher) or Slow (Dexterity +0 or lower). Boss ● Crit Failure. Deal no damage.
monsters act during the Fast and Slow phases.

The combat round resolves as follows:

DEFENDING
Fast PCs → Fast Monsters Enemies do not roll to attack. When an enemy
Slow PCs → Slow Monsters attacks a PC, the player rolls to defend.

CRITICALS d20 + AC
When you roll a Natural 20 or if you beat the vs.
DC by 10+, you get a Critical Success. DC 10 + enemy ATK bonus

When you roll a Natural 1 or if you miss the DC When you roll to defend, use this guide:
by 10+, you get a Critical Failure. ● Crit Success. Take no damage.
● Success. Take half damage.
ACTIONS ● Failure. Take full damage.
PCs (and NPCs) can take 2 actions per turn. ● Crit Failure. Take double damage.
Possible actions include:
● Move. Move near. Example: A gargoyle has a +3 bonus to its claw
● Strike. Attack an enemy. attack. When the gargoyle attacks Jorbin, he
● Defend. Gain +1 AC. must roll a 13 or higher to block the attack.
● Cast. Cast a spell.
● Maneuver. Attempt to gain Jorbin rolls an 8 on the d20. He is wearing plate
an advantage. Roll a check. armor with a shield, so his AC is +7. A total of 15
beats the gargoyle’s attack. Jorbin takes half
CONDITIONS damage from the attack (rounded down).

Use the following effects when these

The gargoyle’s claw (1d6) rolls a 5. Halved,
conditions apply:
Jorbin takes 2 damage. Just a scratch! Then,
Poisoned. You have disadvantage on all checks.
the gargoyle rears back with its second claw...
Stunned. Take 1 action each turn instead of 2.

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 Equipment

MODULAR WEAPONS SAMPLE WEAPONS

Weapons are divided into the following
categories: improvised/unarmed, light, standard, Weapon Type Property
heavy, and ranged. Check the weapons chart
for damage and properties. Mace Light Bash

Whip Light Cleave

Melee weapons gain one additional property
from the following list:
Shortsword Light Dual Wield

Bash. When you Strike an enemy, you can Rapier Light Parry
choose to stun it instead of dealing damage.
The enemy loses one action on its next turn. Dagger Light Throw

Cleave. You can divide the damage rolled Warhammer Standard Bash
between any enemies within close range.
Staff Standard Cleave

Dual Wield.* You can Strike twice in one turn Hand Axe Standard Dual Wield
without disadvantage.
Longsword Standard Parry
Parry. As an action, roll 1d4. The next time you
take damage from an attack this round, reduce Spear Standard Throw
it by the amount rolled.
Maul Heavy Bash

Throw.* You can throw this weapon to Strike an Glaive Heavy Cleave
enemy within near range using STR or DEX.
Greatsword Heavy Parry
*Cannot apply to heavy weapons.
Crossbow Ranged Ranged
Ranged weapons gain the following property:
Longbow Ranged Ranged

Ranged. You can Strike up to far range. Sling Ranged Ranged

Disadvantage on Strikes at close range.
Requires ammo.

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 Equipment
ARMOR

Item Cost Gear Slots AC Properties

Light Armor 20 gp 1 1 + DEX mod –

(Leather, Padded)

Medium Armor 60 gp 2 3 + DEX mod Disadv on stealth,

(Chain, Scale) swim

Heavy Armor 120 gp 3 5 No swim,

(Plate, Bone) disadv stealth

Shield 10 gp 1 +2 Occupies one

hand

WEAPONS

Type Cost Gear Slots Damage Properties

Improvised Melee / 0 gp 1 1d4 –

Unarmed

Light Melee / 2 gp 1 1d6 Strike with

Ranged DEX

Standard Melee 6 gp 1 1d8/1d10 1H/2H

Heavy Melee 12 gp 2 1d12 2H

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 Additional Rules

STARTING HP
Max HD at 1st Level plus CON mod.

SPELLCASTING
If you attempt to Cast twice in one turn, your
second Cast has disadvantage.

MAGIC FEEDBACK
When you fail to cast a spell, you can take
damage equal to the spell tier. If you do, the
spell still takes effect.

NARRATIVE XP
PCs can earn XP from many sources including:
● Discovering treasure.
● Completing quests.
● Defeating enemies. ADVANCEMENT
● Uncovering secrets. Current Level Level Up At…
● Exploring new places.
● Having meaningful interactions. 1 12 XP

2 13 XP
Award XP based on how challenging the
3 14 XP
encounter was, or how much it impacted the
PCs’ personal and overarching stories. 4 15 XP
● Normal (1 XP)
5 16 XP
● Significant (3 XP)
● Legendary (5 XP) 6 17 XP

7 18 XP
FAST ADVANCEMENT
8 19 XP
To gain a level, PCs need to earn XP equal to
next level + 10. 9 20 XP